Chili Lime (Leaf) Roasted Peanuts

Yes, to rebel against the influx of deadlines and obligations, I am going to write, because writing, although counter-productive according to my Google calendar, has always been the easiest way for me to clear my mind. In truth, I’m supposed to be drafting up the back cover copy for my cookbook right now (headline + body+ bio, all of which I have little idea how to do) but instead I have a few thoughts that I’d rather blog about instead; one about “nakedness” and the other about “not thinking”, both, I’m here to say, are very difficult states to achieve. (I will get to the draft in just a second…)

Don’t worry, there is a recipe for some scrumptious roasted peanuts tossed in chili oil, crushed lime leaves, and Thai basil here too. I wouldn’t leave you with heavy thoughts and nothing to chew on while I share them–that’s just wrong.

Chili Lime (Leaf) Roasted Peanuts

2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

2 heaping tsp chili oil (with the flakes and oil)

20 dried lime leaves, crushed (hard stems removed)

20-25 leaves thai basil, chopped (reserve a couple Tbsp for garnish)

juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, grated

small piece ginger, grated

salt to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss all the ingredients together on a baking sheet, and bake the nuts for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven, toss with the reserved basil, and a little more salt if you like, and serve.

Hint: These are going over another recipe that I can’t wait to share…so stay tuned. In the meantime, keep snacking on them because they’re addicting…I know.

Back to “Nakedness and Not Thinking”:

Have you seen the headlines talking about Sofia Vergara going big and bold, and nakey on the cover of Women’s Health this month? The magazine talked about nakedness as not only a physical thing but a mental and emotional one. Which is really HUGE and something I’ve been wanting to speak out about for awhile now. Being able to be truly “naked” in today’s digital world is a real challenge, because most of us post things after post-production, after filters, and photoshop, and just the snippets we think will add to our individual brand. But we can’t dodge the truth forever, and that’s where the body comes in.

As a girl who walked around with more than an extra 100 lbs on her throughout most of young adulthood, I was never one to let my body just be free and out there for all to see. I wasn’t proud of it, and from the response I got from others, they weren’t trying to see it all wild and roaming free either. It was habit to cover myself up. But then as I lost the weight, I felt more visible to everyone around me, to friends and family and classmates, which was exciting but also a bit scary. That’s when I created this link in my brain that told me “In order to be seen, be small. In order to be invisible, be big, cover your body, and hide. It’s safe!” It was like a switch. And since then my body unconsciously follows these orders. I’ve only just started noticing it.

Now that I stop to listen to my body, I’ve realized how often it speaks to me. It speaks to me every second actually, telling me things it doesn’t like me doing to it, along with all the things it appreciates. If I start breaking out on my face it’s telling me to take care of my body, drink some water girl! Or sometimes it tells me to take care of my emotions–“you’re afraid and stressed about something, but it’s ok because this weight I’m about to make you gain will protect and nurture you.” It’s constantly communicating. The body doesn’t lie. No matter how much we want to hide parts of ourselves from the world, the body will tell all our secrets!

So as much as I hate it, I love it too; it forces me to stop cutting corners. If I want to be the person I know I’m capable of being, the person inside me who is always checking me and pushing me, I just need to be that person, don’t be half that person, only showing up for myself when it’s absolutely necessary. Half-assed-ness oozes out of pores like sweat.

Annnnnnnd those were my thoughts on “nakedness”! Now for “not thinking”: I think it will make you the most successful version of yourself. Well, not overthinking. And that’s something else I’m working on.

Thanks for listening. Maybe the next revelation I write about will be titled: “Procrastination” 🙂